Can word use formulas

In this example was used a simple formula to calculate a discount rate:

See
How to turn on or turn off highlighting off fields in a Word document
and
Show blue hyperlink instead of { HYPERLINK link }.

To create a formula like the one above, it is necessary to make two steps:

   1.   Create a bookmark (variable) for every parameter.

   2.   Create a formula.

To perform these steps, do the following:

   1.   Create a field with the volume of a parameter:

   1.1.   Position the cursor in the document.

It doesn’t important, where: where this variable should be shown in the first time or anywhere in
the text (see both examples below).

   1.2.   On the Insert tab, in the Text group,
select the Quick Parts drop-down list and the click on Field…:

   1.3.   In the Field dialog box:

   1.3.1.   In the Field names list, select the
command Set and click the Field Codes button:

   1.3.2.   In the Field codes textbox, after
proposed SET type the name of this bookmark (variable) and the value.

For example:

   1.3.3.   Click OK to insert the current field in
you document:

Note: Instead of making steps 1.1-1.3, you can press Ctrl+F9 to insert a
field in your document and type:

SET <name> <value>

To create the bookmark (variable) as you type, just update a field: right-click on the field and
choose Update field in the popup menu:

   2.   Repeat the step 1 for every bookmark (variable)
that you want to define.

In this example, the discount with volume 5.

   3.   To insert the bookmark (variable) in the text, do
the following:

   3.1.   Position the cursor where you want to insert the
value of some bookmark (variable).

   3.2.   On the Insert tab, in the Text group,
select the Quick Parts drop-down list and the click on Field….

   3.3.   In the Field dialog box, click the
Formula… button:

   3.4.   In the Formula dialog box, in the
Paste bookmarks drop-down list, if you made all correctly on the previous steps, you will
see all variables that you have created:

Choose one and click OK. For example, price:

Note: Instead of making steps 3.1 – 3.4, if you can press Ctrl+F9 to insert
a field in you document and type:

= <bookmark name>

   4.   To insert a formula, do the following:

   4.1.   Position the cursor where you want to insert
the formula.

   4.2.   On the Insert tab, in the Text group,
select the Quick Parts drop-down list and the click on Field….

   4.3.   In the Field dialog box, click the
Formula… button.

   4.4.   In the Formula dialog box type the
formula:

The first variant where each of the variables defined before their values in the text:

The second variant where the variables defined before the text:

See
Functions and formulas in a Word document
for more details.

Note: The field { SET *** } doesn’t shown in the document by default. So,
this field can be easily removed by mistake with any other text or paragraph. To avoid missing
this field, we recommend use a field { Quote *** } to keep the definition and the first
using of the parameter:

See also this tip in French:
Comment calculer des formules dans un document Word.

Create Calculations in Word Tables Using Formulas

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated October 9, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)

You can insert formulas in Word tables to perform calculations. These formulas can include functions such as SUM or AVERAGE or basic operators. When you insert formulas in Word tables, you are really inserting fields so the fields will need to be updated if the data in the table changes. For more complex calculations, it’s usually best to create formulas in Excel where they will update automatically.

Formulas and functions in Word tables only work with numbers. You can’t perform text calculations or output text.

Recommended article: 3 Simple Ways to Copy or Import Excel Data into Word (Linked or Unlinked)

Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of Word, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For Word 365 users, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Table Tools Design tab may appear as Table Design.

To insert a formula in a cell in a Word table, you’ll need to use the Function command on the Table Tools Layout or Table Layout tab in the Ribbon:

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >

Understanding formula syntax

When you insert a table in Word, each column and row are identified like cells in Excel worksheets and each cell is assigned a cell reference. In a Word table, the first column would be column A and the first row would be row 1 so the first cell would be identified as A1. Therefore, you can create calculations that refer to cells (such as =A1+A2).

In Word and Excel, you can use the same basic operators:

• addition (+)
• subtraction (-)
• multiplication (*)
• division (/)

Typically, formulas in Word tables are created using common functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX or COUNT and refer to a range. They must start with an equal sign (=).

You can refer to ranges of cells using ABOVE, LEFT, RIGHT or BELOW as the arguments for functions. If you’re trying to sum the cells at the bottom of a column, the formula would be =SUM(ABOVE). You can also combine these arguments. For example, you could enter a formula =SUM(ABOVE,LEFT) and it would sum all cells that are above and to the left of that cell. Functions can also refer to cell references such as =SUM(C1:C10). You can also refer to individual cells such =SUM(B1,C1,D5).

Word tables can also perform more complex calculations using the IF function with the syntax =IF(test,true,false). For example, =IF(A5>=1000,0,50) could be used to calculate a shipping cost of 50 if orders are less than 1000. You can also use the AND and OR functions with the IF function.

Inserting a formula in a table

To insert a formula in a table:

1. Click in the cell where you want to enter a formula.
2. Click the Table Tools Layout or Table Layout tab in the Ribbon.
3. Select Function (fx) in the Data group. A dialog box appears. Word will typically insert a function and arguments in the Formula box.
4. If you want to accept the suggested formula, click OK. If you want to change the formula, click in the Formula box and enter a formula (starting with =). You can also choose other functions from the Paste Function drop-down menu.
5. If necessary, select a format from the Format drop-down menu.
6. Click OK. Word inserts the formula as a field and displays the results.

The Function dialog box appears as follows with a formula and a format selected:

Updating a formula

If the original data changes, you can right-click the Formula field and select Update from the drop-down menu or press F9. If you want to update all formulas in a table, select all of the cells in the table and press F9. To select the entire table, click the four arrows on the top left of the table.

Changing a formula

To change a formula in a table:

1. Right-click the formula or error. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Select Edit field.
3. Make the desired changes.
4. Click OK.

Updating all fields

To update all fields in all tables:

1. Press Ctrl + A to select all.
2. Press F9.

Formula fields are just one type of field you can use in Word. There are many other fields that can insert variable information in Word documents.

Subscribe to get more articles like this one

Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, join our email list.

More resources

4 Ways to Create a Table in Word

How to Insert Fields in Word (Built-in or Custom)

5 Ways to Insert the Division Symbol in Word (Type or Insert ÷)

How to Insert Reusable Text Snippets in Word with Quick Parts

10 Microsoft Word Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for Selecting in Tables

Related courses

Microsoft Word: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft Word: Long Documents Master Class

Microsoft Word: Styles, Templates and Tables of Contents

Microsoft Word: Designing Dynamic Word Documents Using Fields

VIEW MORE COURSES >

Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca if you’d like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that’s convenient for you.

Copyright 2023 Avantix^® Learning

Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners.

Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca

There are a lot of times when I need to include some simple data calculations in a Word document and a table is the best option. You can always try to insert an entire Excel spreadsheet into your Word doc, but that’s overkill sometimes.

In this article, I’m going to talk about how you can use formulas inside tables in Word. There are only a handful of formulas you can use, but it’s enough to get totals, counts, round numbers, etc. Also, if you are already familiar with Excel, then using the formulas in Word will be a piece of cake.

Insert Formulas into Word Tables

Let’s start out by creating a simple test table. Click on the Insert tab and then click on Table. Choose how many rows and columns you want from the grid.

Once your table has been inserted, go ahead and add in some data. I’ve just made a really simple table with a couple of numbers for my example.

Now let’s go ahead and insert a formula. In the first example, I’m going to add the first three values in the first row together (10 + 10 + 10). To do this, click inside the last cell in the fourth column, click on Layout in the ribbon and then click on Formula at the far right.

This will bring up the Formula dialog with a default of =SUM(LEFT).

If you were to simply click OK, you will see the value we are looking for in the cell (30).

Let’s talk about the formula. Just like Excel, a formula starts with an equals sign, followed by a function name and arguments in parenthesis. In Excel, you only specify cell references or named ranges like A1, A1:A3, etc., but in Word, you have these positional terms you can use.

In the example, LEFT means all cells that are to the left of the cell in which the formula is entered. You can also use RIGHT, ABOVE and BELOW. You can use these positional arguments with SUM, PRODUCT, MIN, MAX, COUNT and AVERAGE.

In addition, you can use these arguments in combination. For example, I could type in =SUM(LEFT, RIGHT) and it would add all the cells that are to the left and right of that cell. =SUM(ABOVE, RIGHT) would add all numbers that are above the cell and to the right. You get the picture.

Now let’s talk about some of the other functions and how we can specify cells in a different manner. If I wanted to find the maximum number in the first column, I could add another row and then use the =MAX(ABOVE) function to get 30. However, there is another way you can do this. I could also simply go into any cell and type in =MAX(A1:A3), which references the first three rows in the first column.

This is really convenient because you can put the formulas anywhere you want in the table. You can also reference individual cells like writing =SUM(A1, A2, A3), which will give you the same result. If you write =SUM(A1:B3), it will add A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, and B3. Using these combinations, you can pretty much reference any data you like.

If you want to see a list of all the functions you can use in your Word formula, just click on the Paste Function box.

You can use IF statements, AND and OR operators and more. Let’s see an example of a more complex formula.

In the example above, I have =IF(SUM(A1:A3) > 50, 50, 0), which means that if the sum from A1 to A3 is greater than 50, show 50, otherwise show 0. It’s worth noting that all of these functions really only work with numbers. You can’t do anything with text or strings and you can’t output any text or string either. Everything has to be a number.

Here’s another example using the AND function. In this example, I am saying that if both the sum and max value of A1 to A3 is greater than 50, then true otherwise false. True is represented by a 1 and False by 0.

If you type in a formula and it’s got an error in it, you’ll see a syntax error message.

To fix the formula, just right click on the error and choose Edit Field.

This will bring up the Field dialog. Here you just have to click on the Formula button.

This will bring up the same Formula editing dialog that we’ve been working with since the beginning. That’s about all there is to inserting formulas into Word. You can also check out the online documentation from Microsoft that explains each function in detail.

Overall, it’s nothing even close to the power of Excel, but it’s enough for some basic spreadsheet calculations right inside Word. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!

Is this article up to date?

Excel formulas let you automate your spreadsheets. But how do you use it in a Word document? Here are two ways to do it!

While you can always integrate Excel data into a Word document, it’s often unnecessary when all you need is a small table. It’s quite simple to create a table and use Excel formulas in a Word document. However, there is only a limited number of formulas that can be used.

For instance, if you’re trying to insert sales data in a table, you could add a column for sales, another one for total cost, and a third one for calculating profit using a formula. You can also calculate an average or a maximum for each of these columns.

Method 1: Paste Spreadsheet Data Into Word

If you already have data populated into a spreadsheet, you could just copy it into your Microsoft Word document.

1. Copy the cells containing the data and open a Word document.
2. From the top ribbon, click on the arrow under the Paste button, and click on Paste Special.
   
3. You’ll see a new window pop-up where you’ll need to select what you want to paste the copied content as. Select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object and select OK.
   
4. Your data should now appear in the Word document, and the cells should contain the formulas as well.

If you want to make any edits, you can double-click on the pasted content, and your Word document will transform into an Excel document, and you’ll be able to do everything you would on a normal spreadsheet.

Method 2: Add Formulas in a Table Cell in Word

1. Quickly insert a table in your Word document and populate the table with data.
2. Navigate to the cell where you want to make your computations using a formula. Once you’ve selected the cell, switch to the Layout tab from the ribbon at the top and select Formula from the Data group.
   

   Notice that there are two tabs called Layout. You need to select the one that appears under Table Tools in the ribbon.

3. When you click on Formula, you’ll see a small window pop up.
4. The first field in the box is where you enter the formula you want to use. In addition to formulas, you can also perform basic arithmetic operations here. For instance, say you want to compute the profit, you could just use the formula:

    =B2-C2 

   Here, B2 represents the second cell in the second column, and C2 represents the second cell in the third column.

   
5. The second field allows you to set the Number Format. For instance, if you wanted to calculate profit down to two decimal places, you could select a number format accordingly.
   
6. The Paste Function field lists the formulas you can use in Word. If you can’t remember the name of a function, you could select one from the dropdown list, and it will automatically be added to the Formula field.
   
7. When you’ve entered the function, click OK, and you’ll see the computed figure in the cell.

Positional Arguments

Positional arguments (ABOVE, BELOW, LEFT, RIGHT) can often make things simpler, especially if your table is relatively large. For instance, if you have 20 or more columns in your table, you could use the formula =SUM(ABOVE) instead of referencing each cell inside the parenthesis.

You can use positional arguments with the following functions:

• SUM
• AVERAGE
• MIN
• MAX
• COUNT
• PRODUCT

For instance, we could calculate the average sales for the above example using the formula:

 =AVERAGE(ABOVE) 

If your cell is at the center of the column, you can use a combination of positional arguments. For instance, you could sum up the values above and below a specific cell using the following formula:

 =SUM(ABOVE,BELOW) 

If you want to sum up the values from both the row and the column in a corner cell, you could use the following formula:

 =SUM(LEFT,ABOVE) 

Even though Microsoft Word offers only a few functions, they are quite robust in functionality and will easily help you create most tables without running into lack-of-functionality issues.

Updating Data and Results

Unlike Excel, Microsoft Word doesn’t update formula results in real-time. However, it does update the results once you close and re-open the document. If you want to keep things simple, just update the data, close, and re-open the document.

However, if you’d like to update the formula results as you continue to work on the document, you’ll need to select the results (not just the cell), right-click on them, and select Update Field.

When you click Update Field, the formula’s result should update instantly.

Cell References

There are several ways to reference a cell in a Word document.

1. Bookmark Names

Let’s say you give your average sales value a bookmark name average_sales. If you don’t know how to give a cell a bookmark name, select the cell and navigate to Insert > Bookmark from the ribbon at the top.

Assume that the average sales value is a decimal value, and you’d like to convert it to an integer. You could reference the average sales value as ROUND(average_sales,0), and this will round the value down to its nearest integer.

2. RnCn References

The RnCn referencing convention allows you to reference a row, column, or a specific cell in a table. The Rn refers to the nth row, while the Cn refers to the nth column. If you wanted to refer to the fifth column and second row, for instance, you’d use R2C5.

You can even select a range of cells using the RnCn reference, much like you would in Excel. For instance, selecting R1C1:R1C6 selects the first six cells of the first row. For selecting the entire row in which you’re using the formula, just use R (or C for a column).

3. A1 References

This is the convention that Excel uses, and we’re all familiar with. The letter represents the columns, while the numbers represent the rows. For instance, A3 refers to the third cell in the first column.

Word Tables Made Easy

Hopefully, the next time you’ll need to use data on a Microsoft Word document, you’ll be able to do things much faster without having to first create a spreadsheet and then import it into your Word document.

Did you know Word can contain formulas? Yes. It can.

For simple calculations you don’t need to use Excel.

Estimated learning time 5 min

The Need

Word is not Excel.

Word tables can contain data. Therefore, Word does provide a limited set of formulas.

This eliminates the need to create an Excel file for performing simple calculations.
Let us see how we can use these to our advantage.

Tables and Formulas

Add a table containing some numbers. Keep the last column and last row empty. We will use these to add formulas.

Here is the base table.

Now go to the first row, last column and choose Table Tools – Layout – Formula

Word understands that you are in the rightmost cell of the table and suggests a formula
=SUM (LEFT)

For now, click Ok. The calculation is shown immediately.

Now let us do the same thing for the last row of the first column.
This time the formula is SUM (ABOVE)

Now, click inside the result and see that the background becomes gray in color.
This means that it is a field – a calculation.

If you click inside and it does not become gray, you have to change one option in Word – File – Options – Advanced (scroll down) as shown below. The Field Shading option should be When Selected. It means that show the gray shading when you click inside a field. Otherwise, it will look like regular text. This avoids distracting gray fields being shown all over the document. But also gives you a visual indication that it is a field, in case you are looking at it directly by clicking inside it.

Formulas are NOT calculated dynamically

Now change the numbers in the first column. None of the formulas are updated.

Select the table, right click and choose Update Fields to refresh the formula results.

If you have lots of formulas, select the entire document (CTRL A) and then right click and choose Update Field.

The numbers must be contiguous

If there is any text in between, the calculation fails. It needs contiguous numbers.

More functions

Open the Formula dialog dropdown to see more functions.

The following functions are available:
and, average, count, defined, false, if, int, max, min, not, or, mod, product, sign, sum, round, true

You can change number formats as well.

Bookmarks

These are like external variables. For example, there is a 5 % tax.

I have written 5 elsewhere (outside the table) and I want to use the tax rate in multiple places and tables.

No problem. Select that number and choose Insert – Bookmark – give it a name Tax.

 

Now the formula can use the bookmark.

Here is the result.

Excel like formulas also work

Think of each cell of the Word table as though it was an Excel sheet starting with A1.

Now type a formula exactly as you would in Excel.

Here is the result.

Automatic reference change does not work. If you copy that formula to all the rows, it will still show the same result. So think of it as a fixed formula $A$1 / $C$1

Add formulas anywhere

If you use bookmarks as shown above, you can use formulas anywhere – not just within tables.

For example, if I have two bookmarks Length and Breadth as shown here…

You can type a formula using these bookmarks.

To create a formula anywhere press CTRL F9

Curly braces will open with gray background. Type the formulas as shown here.

When you finish, press F9 to finalize the formula and calculate the result.

Change the input values and right click in the field – Update Field – to show new results.

When are Word formulas useful?

Simple totals, easy calculations where the row and column positions are unlikely to change. If you use Above, Left type of syntax, and if the rows or columns increase, you have to refresh the formulas manually.

Remember that table borders can be removed – still the formulas will work.

For complex calculations it is always better to use Excel.

Behind the Scenes: Word Fields

Actually, Word contains many things which are dynamically calculated – like formulas in Excel. These things are called Fields.

Many of you may not have used fields directly. But indirectly we use them all the time. The most commonly used dynamic formula in Word is the Page Number!

There are hundreds of them and they are very powerful.

How do you know there is a field? If you click inside the field and it becomes gray in color, that means it is a field.

Word provides fascinating collection of extremely powerful dynamic fields. We will cover fields in detail in separate articles.

***

You can perform calculations and logical comparisons in a table by using formulas. The Formula command is found on the Table Tools, Layout tab, in the Data group. A formula in Word automatically updates when you open the document that contains the formula. You can also update a formula result manually.

How do I create a formula in a Word table?

Adding Formulas To Word Documents.mp4 – YouTube

How do you insert math formulas in Word?

In Word, you can insert mathematical symbols into equations or text by using the equation tools. On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click the arrow under Equation, and then click Insert New Equation.

How do I use the Equation Editor in Word?

2. To bring up the Equation Editor, On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click the arrow next to Equation, and then click Insert New Equation. This will bring up the equation editor toolbar and will place an edit box at the insertion point in the document. Note that the menu at the top of the screen has changed.

Are formulas equations?

Formulae contain equals signs, as do equations, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between an equation and a formula. A formula is a calculation for a specific purpose, for example converting Fahrenheit to Celsius or vice versa. A formula is also always true, no matter what values are put in.

How do you write a math formula?

How to create a formula from a maths word problem